Before OMG The Untold Story
by Don'tForgetTheNotes
Summary: OK so this is a prequel based on Chris Allen's short film OMG. If you haven't seen it then check it out on youtube : I OWN NONE OF THE CHARACTERS! Gus is in normal font. Joe in bold and Kristen in italics
1. Chapter 1

Before OMG – The Untold Story of Joe, Kristen and Gus

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Gus had always known that Kristen was out of his league as long as Joe was still around. They were the perfect couple, everyone said so. Gus remembered that first day Joe and him had met Kristen.

They'd been at the bowling alley having their weekly bro time, and then he saw her, a pretty blonde girl, she was playing on the lane two away from them with a group of girls, Gus knew at first sight he was in love, he'd always been a believer in love at first sight but he was far too shy to say anything. He didn't say anything to Joe as he wanted to admire her from a distance and knowing Joe if he uttered a word about her, Joe would march him over and force him to speak to her.

However later in their game he sensed Joe looking at something so Gus looked over too. It was the blonde girl, she'd moved to the drink stall right behind their lane, so close they could hear her voice. To Gus it sounded so musical, so beautiful. He felt himself blushing so he excused himself to the bathroom before Joe could see and tease him. Gus would later see this was the biggest mistake of his life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Joe watched as Gus hastily made his way to the bathroom. He didn't give too much thought as to the reason of his sudden exit as it was Gus, and Gus did do some bizarre things sometimes, but he loved him like a brother, they'd been best friends since that first day in school and nothing had ever come between them. For a few moments Joe idly spun the bowling bowls on the stand but his eyes kept flicking back to the blonde girl, she was now waiting for the stall worker to pour out her drinks. Joe looked her up and down and smiled, 'Just like everyone else, even she can't pull off bowling shoes.' He thought as he walked over to her just as she was trying and mostly failing to carry six drinks back to her lane. 'Here let me help you.' Joe said, the blonde girl looked up surprised but then smiled. He smiled back at her and then picked up the drinks still on the counter. 'I'm Joe by the way.' 'Oh I'm, Kristen.' They walked back to Kristen's lane. Her friends fell silent and all stared at Joe. He put the drinks down and smiled at them all before walking back to his own lane, but he laughed silently to himself when he heard all the girls giggling and the occasional 'Kris!' Or 'Oh my God he was cute.' He reached his own lane and looked back. He caught Kristen's eye and they smiled at each other.**

Gus was still a few lanes away but he saw it. That smile. And he knew, he'd lost her before he'd even gained her. He sighed and then walked back to his lane. As he reached it he smiled at Joe. 'Hey buddy saw you smiling at that girl.' Joe looked up at Gus and smiled. 'Yeah her name's Kristen; I think we hit it off.' Gus smiled and hi-fived Joe but as Joe turned away to bowl his turn Gus' smile faded and he looked over at Kristen. She had turned back to talk to her friends but she kept looking over her shoulder at Joe. This was the first time Gus had ever felt truly jealous of Joe. Sure he'd always felt slight jealousy when Joe was repeatedly picked first during gym, when he'd made it into most of the sports teams in school and when he could get an A in an exam without even trying. But this was different; this was the first time that jealousy was mixed with anger and scorn. Why did Joe have to get all the girls? Granted there had never been a girl they'd both liked. Joe tended to go for girls because of their looks and not their personality. Gus liked a girl he could have an intelligent conversation with and one who actually enjoyed going to see independent art films with him.


	3. Chapter 3

_Kristen tried listening to the story her friend was telling but her mind was on other things. Mainly that boy who had helped her. Joe. She watched as he bowled a strike and chest pounded his friend, Kristen laughed. She had to admit it, Joe was cute, and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. She caught his eye again and smiled. One of her friends giggled and said, 'Kris you're smiling like an idiot.' Kristen blushed and laughed, before taking a breath and standing up. 'I'm gonna go speak to him.' All of her friends smiled and giggled. Kristen looked around at Joe; he was watching his friend take his turn. She flattened her dress before walking over to him._

_'Hi.' She smiled at Joe, he beamed back at her. She looked down at his bowling shoes, 'you know you look really funny in those bowling shoes?' They both laughed; Kristen sat down next to Joe just as Gus came back from his turn. He stood awkwardly at Joe's side and didn't look at Kristen. 'Oh yeah! Kristen, this is Gus, Gus, Kristen.' Joe said before looking back at Kristen. They began to talk as Gus watched them. 'Joe it's your turn.' Kristen looked at Gus properly for the first time; he was shorter than Joe with brown hair. What she presumed was a normally happy, caring face was twisted into a look of annoyance. She felt sorry for him, he was obviously a tag-along of Joe's someone who was good friends with him but could never hope to be as popular. She stopped looking at him when Joe spoke 'Listen pal, I'm not really in the mood for bowling anymore.' Kristen watched as Gus tried to say something but then just nodded and started to collect his things, she turned to Joe. 'Do you wanna grab a bite to eat?' Kristen's heart swelled, it had been months, years even since a boy had said that to her. It took her back to her high school days when boys voices broke whenever they tried to speak to a girl and going on a date seemed like the scariest thing ever. She came back to earth and realised Joe was still waiting for an answer. She smiled and nodded at him 'Sure I'll just grab my things.' She got up and almost ran back to her friends._

* * *

Gus watched her go, saw her speak excitedly to her friends although he couldn't make out what she said. He turned away and looked at Joe, who smiled up at him. 'Score!' Gus almost hit him, but somehow he remained composed, 'Listen Joe, whatever you do don't mess with her, she seems like a nice girl.' Joe snorted but before he could answer Kristen came back now wearing her coat and bag. Joe stood up, 'Well cya later Gus.' Gus smiled at him but it was strained, he looked at Kristen who smiled back at him, 'It was great meeting you Gus.' Kristen and Joe walked away towards the shoe counter.

She'd said his name, in her beautiful, musical voice and there was nothing he could do. After that 'bite to eat' she'd be as good as Joe's girlfriend. Gus knew how fast Joe could work. How could he feel like he'd lost something he'd never had? He sighed, 'Plenty more fish in the sea.' He thought to himself like he always did, but this time, it didn't make him feel better.


	4. Chapter 4

Two weeks later and Joe and Kristen made it official, they were dating. Gus pretended to be happy for them but it was hard. It turned out Kristen went to the same college as Joe and Gus so everywhere Joe went she went too. Gus couldn't even get away in his own dorm room, it had seemed like the best idea ever to share a room with Joe but now it was his daily dose of torture to turn the door handle and to have the strong chance of her being on the other side of the door. And Kristen herself didn't do much to help, every time he saw her she would smile her dazzling smile at him that broke his heart. But she was so head over heels in love with Joe, Gus had seen the way she looked at him, heard the way she said his name and all Gus could think was that he wanted it to be him but how could it be?

* * *

_A few months later Kristen was in the library. It was late but she hadn't known what to do with herself. Joe was away on a science trip to Kennedy Space Centre, she'd barely spoken to him the past week and she missed him. So she'd decided she would write her history essay even though it wasn't due in for another two weeks. The essay was on the Trojan War, not Kristen's favourite era but it was history none the less and she loved history. She walked down the aisle and stopped in front of the Greek History section. She slid her hand along the row until she found a book that looked promising, she tugged at it but it wouldn't budge, the stupid librarians had over-loaded the shelf again. She pulled again and almost fell into the shelf behind. 'Fuck!' She muttered under her breath. 'You know, it really isn't lady like to swear.' She jumped and whipped around but smiled when she saw it was Gus. 'Oh it's you Gus.' Kristen wasn't surprised Gus was having a late night library visit too. It was clear he was almost as lost without Joe as she was, she'd seen how people were around him, they only spoke to him because he came as almost a package deal with Joe. So without Joe people had little to say to him, he was always in Joe's shadow. But Kristen liked him, he was a good friend. She pointed towards the shelf 'Do you mind using your big, boy muscles to help me out?' Gus laughed and pulled the book out; they walked over to an empty table and sat down. Kristen opened the text box and began to flick through, she glanced over at Gus and saw he was writing an essay on _The Turn of the Screw _she smiled 'Do you think the ghost were real?' Gus looked puzzled but a look of realisation came over his face when Kristen gestured to the open novel. 'Definitely real.' Kristen looked shocked and laughed before arguing back her ideas._

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Gus woke up the next morning, and just stared up at the ceiling for a while. Had last night happened? Had him and Kristen really sat and talked for hours about classic literature? They had. He didn't know it was possible to love Kristen more than he already did, but he was wrong. She loved all the same books he did; she listened to all of his theories and had many of her own. He felt a pain in the pit of his stomach, he had to stop this. Pigs would fly before he went out with Kristen. He rolled out of bed and started to get ready. Joe would be back today and things would be easier then...he hoped.


	5. Chapter 5

It was late afternoon. Gus strolled through the quad towards the front entrance of the college. The bus Joe was on was due in, in ten minutes. He reached the car park and looked around, quite a few people were waiting, Gus looked over when he saw someone waving, it was Kristen. Of course she'd be meeting Joe off the bus, Gus almost felt like walking away and not looking back but he didn't want to do anything that would make her question. He was saved by the bus puling into the grounds. Everyone slowly filed off; Gus just saw Joe for a second before Kristen had thrown herself on him. He saw Joe's face over Kristen's shoulder. He was smiling just as much as Gus knew Kristen would be smiling. They really were perfect for each other. Gus thought about running away this time but Joe caught sight of him before he could. 'Gus!' Joe walked over and slapped him on the shoulder before returning to pick up his bag from the bus. He came back and took Kristen's hand, all three of them walked back into the building.

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**J****oe breathed a sigh of relief as he opened the door to his and Gus' dorm room. This place really did feel like home and over their years at college him and Gus had really made it their own. He threw his bag onto his desk chair and sat down on his bed; Kristen curled up next to him and rested her head and his shoulder. He watched as Gus shut the door and sat cross legged on his own bed. A split-second pained expression had appeared on his face when Kristen had rested her head on Joe's shoulder. But Joe saw it. He knew Gus loved her, he'd known since the first day they'd met her. To anyone else, Kristen included, Gus' body language would mean nothing because that's what Gus did best, he hid his true feelings. But Joe had too many years experience to know when something was wrong with Gus. He knew it must be torture for Gus but he'd never known how to bring it up, he couldn't just say 'OK Gus, so I know you secretly love my girlfriend.' They sat in silence for a while until Kristen spoke, 'So what was Kennedy Space Centre like?' Joe smiled, it had been amazing. But then he felt his smile fall slightly. The trip had confirmed his dream could become a reality, his dream to go into space. He'd even signed up for a programme that started next year that would train him for a deep space exploration mission NASA was planning. But for some reason he felt he couldn't tell Kristen or Gus. Kristen would get upset that he hadn't told her about it during their phone call and Gus would probably not believe him, he was always so serious, And besides hundreds of people would have signed up for it and the programme had only five places, Joe thought it highly unlikely that he'd even get in so he decided...he wouldn't tell them, not just yet.**


	6. Chapter 6

**All too quickly it was graduation, the morning had finally come, all the stress of exams seemed so long ago. Joe got dressed into his suit and took a deep breath as he looked at himself in the mirror. Just then the door opened and Gus walked in, he was also wearing his suit. 'It fits him a lot better than his prom suit did.' Joe thought, they smiled at each other and did their signature hand shake they'd had since they were ten. 'Joe and Gus, ready to take on the world!' Joe said, Gus smiled and they left the room.**

* * *

_Kristen was getting ready in her room, the room she shared with her best friend was full of their circle of friends all getting ready together. Some of the girls were already crying but Kristen didn't feel that upset. Yes this was the end of four of the best years of her life but today signalled the start of her life with Joe. In two weeks they'd be moving into the apartment they'd be renting together. It was small and not in the best area but at least they'd be together._

_She finished applying her make-up and looked at her watch. 'Girls I gotta go meet Joe.' Kristen was instantly swarmed with crying girls hugging her and suddenly the entire room was full of one big group hug. 'I'll see you all at the ceremony!' Kristen finally managed to fight her way through and out of the room._

* * *

Gus was waiting in the main foyer with Joe. Student, teacher and parents alike were all milling around. Gus had already seen his parents and his sister but they'd already gone to sit down as they wanted good seats. Gus' dad liked to film every major family event that had ever happened to them. He came back to reality when he sensed Joe move away from him. He looked around and saw Kristen; she was walking down the stairs into the foyer. She was wearing a light blue formal summer dress that complimented her eyes, Gus noticed she was wearing make-up but it didn't hide her natural beauty. Gus watched as Joe stepped forward and accepted her hand like a true gentleman. He drew her in and kissed her. She smiled at him.

* * *

**To Joe, Kristen had never looked more beautiful. Which made the news he had to tell her even worst. That morning he'd received a letter. A letter telling him he'd been accepted onto the programme. It had said he was one of the strongest candidates they'd seen. Which meant in less than a year he'd begin a year of intensive training before being blasted off into space for five years. The letter had said they'd had a break through with the deep space exploration technology and that in six months they'd be sending the first manned space craft into deep space. He was lucky, the year of intensive training took place in the city they lived in, but then what? He tried to push the thought from his mind. 'I have to be happy today for Kristen.' He thought to himself. He realised Kristen was trying to pull him over to talk to her parents. He let her pull him over and smiled happily as they made small talk with them.**

* * *

After the ceremony Gus fought his way through the crowd towards Joe and Kristen. They all posed for a massive group photo in their graduation robes, people were crying and hugging everywhere he looked. He smiled and waved as Joe's mum reached them, 'All right boys we need a picture of you two, I have a picture a photo of you every year since you were five.' Gus and Joe posed for the photo. It suddenly hit Gus, this was the end, Joe was moving on, he had Kristen, he had his apartment and he'd already been offered a place at a big business company in the city. And what did us have? Nothing. He'd be moving back out of state, back to his and Joe's home town. He'd be back living with his parent, until he found a place of his own and was all set up to start work at his dad's textile factory next week. He felt like his life was going backwards, it was almost too much to bear.

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**A/N:** Hi! So I hope you're enjoying it so far, and if you did like it review! Or if you think it could be improved then still review as I really want to know what you guys think!

I also wanted to take this opportunity to explain a few things to you:

1st the length of the chapters, I know they're short but it just felt natural at the time I wrote them to keep them short, if you think they should be longer or want me to go into more detail tell me as I've already thought of ways to expand it :D

2nd I described a lot more what happens rather than have the characters speak to each other as in OMG there are a lot of sequences with just music so I kind of took inspiration from that.

I hope you continue reading!


	7. Chapter 7

_Kristen was reapplying her make-up in the ladies room. A big group of her graduating class and their family and friends had fully booked out the restaurant for their celebration meal. Kristen had loved every minute of today; it had truly been the perfect way to finish her college education. But something was troubling her. Joe. He'd been off all day, sure when they'd caught eyes he'd give her his biggest smile but numerous times she'd caught him looking troubled. She knew she had to speak to him about it. She put her make-up back into her bag and left the room._

_She found Joe outside the restaurant, smoking. Something she hated, both Joe and Gus did it and they'd grown use to receiving a ten minute rant from Kristen whenever she saw them doing it. But this time she didn't care. She pulled him away and around the corner and looked at him with a questing look._

* * *

**Joe looked back at Kristen for a moment. He knew the time had come. So he told her everything about the programme, however he couldn't tell her about the five year space mission, not here, not in front of all these people. He could tell what he'd already told her was breaking her heart, all the colour had drained from her face. 'How long have you known?' For a moment he couldn't speak, she wasn't angry, she didn't even sound upset, she sounded hurt, this was almost more than Joe could bare. 'I just got my letter of acceptance this morning.' Kristen closed her eyes and visibly shook. She kept them closed as she said 'I meant when did you sign up for the programme?' Joe opened his mouth repeatedly but couldn't bring himself to answer, Kristen finally opened her eyes and stared at him, the spark they normally had was gone. To Joe she seemed truly broken. 'Since the Space Centre trip.' He finally said. Joe watched helplessly as her eyes filled with tears, he tried to say something but she shook her head, 'Don't Joe, please.' Was all she could manage before she stumbled away.**

* * *

Someone pushed roughly passed Gus. He almost shouted after them but then he recognised that blue dress. It was Kristen. He rounded the corner ready to confront Joe but he stopped when he saw him, Joe was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. 'Joe what happened…I saw Kristen.' Joe looked up at him and laughed half-heartedly, 'I've gone and blown it with her, Gus.' Gus sat down next to his friend and Joe told him everything, even about the space mission. 'But I can't tell Kristen about the mission.' He finally said. 'Why not? You're equal parts in a relationship, you're moving in together. She's not some little child you can chose what you can and can't tell her.' Joe couldn't answer Gus and they sat there in silence.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day Gus was up early to pack his things. He shot a side-ways glance at Joe who was doing the same on his side of the room. He'd heard that him and Kristen had managed to patch it up last night and were speaking again but the whole relationship was very strained. Gus silently scolded himself for the small part of him that had felt happy that Joe and Kristen had been on the verge of break-up. He'd imagined what it would have been live to consul her and then be the one she would say was there for her through the hardest time. But this would never be the case, Kristen and Joe had fallen out before but they were always talking again within a few hours. He sighed and carried on shoving his belonging into boxes.

* * *

**Joe listened to the muffled thumping as Gus' belongings were thrown into cardboard boxes. He knew Gus was angry at him, and he had every right to be so. Joe knew he'd have to tell Kristen sooner or later about the mission, she would definitely notice if he disappeared for five years. But he'd almost lost her last night and he couldn't let that happen. Kristen completed him. He felt whole when she was around, last night he'd caught a glimpse of what life would be like without her and it was a cold, harsh world. Joe thought about Gus again, what would Gus do? He knew the answer almost instantly, Gus would do anything for Kristen and that included telling her about the mission. Joe suddenly panicked the one person who could ruin his relationship with Kristen forever was stood right behind him. He slowly turned to look at him. 'Gus.' For a moment he ignored him but then 'Gus!' Joe watched as Gus slowly turned around, 'What Joe?' 'You have to promise me you won't say anything about the space mission to Kristen, I need to be the one to tell her.' Joe could see Gus working out his answer in his mind until he nodded, 'I don't tell other people's secrets because they're not mine to tell.' Joe breathed an inward sigh of relief. Gus' famous line. What Gus valued above all else was trust and Joe knew full well that he'd rather die than break someone's trust. He knew he could rely on him not to tell Kristen. But the question was, when would be the right time for him to tell her?**

* * *

_Two weeks later and they pulled up outside their apartment building. Kristen hoped that this move would fully repair her and Joe's relationship. She didn't really know why she had been so upset, she should have been happy for him, he had been picked over hundreds of people after all. But a small part of her couldn't quite forgive him for keeping something so big from her. She'd thought they told each other everything; it made her question what other secrets he had kept from her. But as she watched him walk around the car and open her door she pushed the thought from her mind._

_As she walked into the apartment carrying a box of little trinkets she'd had since she was a child she suddenly felt calm. Yes. This was the right thing to do. She loved Joe and he loved her. Everyone went through rough patches in their relationships and they could work through it together. She put the box down and walked around, the apartment was small, very small but to Kristen it felt like a castle. She turned round as she heard Joe in the doorway and smiled her dazzling smile._

* * *

**It had been two weeks since Joe had seen that smile. His heart soared to think she was finally happy again but there was still that small voice in his head 'You have to tell her you know.' However Joe ignored the voice and went over to hug Kristen. 'I'm so happy we're here together.' Joe nodded in answer, but a pained expression came over his face.**


	9. Chapter 9

Two months later and Gus was on the bus back. He'd been invited to spend a couple of days at Joe and Kristen's place. He hadn't seen either of them since graduation and it was four months until Joe started his training. Sure he'd spoken to Joe over the phone, and to both of them occasionally on Facebook, Kristen had sent him a photo of a second-hand book shop she'd found, but it wasn't the same. He'd thought it was hard seeing Kristen every day and have her not know his true feelings, but this was far worst. He'd kid himself that he'd started to forget things about her. Like the way she'd run her hand through her so much when she was stressed that it would all stand up. The little snort laugh she did when she found something really funny. And her voice. Gus still remembered that first day he'd heard it, so musical, so beautiful and he hadn't heard it in over two months. He could go through her Facebook pictures all he wanted but none of them could let him hear her.

He'd only managed a step off the bus when arms were thrown around him and he was pulled into a hug. It was Kristen. Gus almost choked, he hadn't prepared for this, and everything was so intense. All too soon she was pulling away, next was Joe, Gus hugged him tight, they were non-biological brothers after all. 'Aww the two best friends back together again.' Gus turned and smiled at her and in return was almost blinded by her smile. Gus knew then, these couple of days were going to be hell. But then a thought came into Gus' head, Kristen was happy. She didn't know.

* * *

**Joe felt great that Gus was here. This had been the longest he'd gone without seeing him since they'd first met. He'd missed the crazy conversations they had, but a small part of him was wary of Gus. So far since their agreement the day after graduation he had kept his promise and not told Kristen. But Gus hadn't seen her since graduation and it worried Joe that in these few days they were all together us would let something slip.**

**When they reached the apartment building, Kristen went straight up with Gus' bag. The first rule she had imposed when they moved in was no smoking. Joe hadn't argued with her, he wanted to keep her happy. For a while he and Gus made small talk but Joe was preoccupied. He was trying to think of the best way to bring up the topic of the mission, but Gus beat him to it. 'She doesn't know does she?' For a moment Joe was taken aback, was it that easy to guess? He slowly shook his head. Gus sighed and gave him a side-ways, questioning look. 'We've been so busy; there hasn't been a good time.' Gus laughed in a disbelieving way. Joe was angry at him but deep down he knew that Gus was right, this couldn't go on forever.**

* * *

_Two days later and Kristen and Joe were saying goodbye to Gus. She'd really enjoyed the three of them being together again. It reminded her of college, something she really missed at times. These past two months with Joe had been great. She was working shifts at a restaurant between going to her work experience as a junior curator at the local museum, and Joe had taken that job at the business company so they could save some money before he started on the programme. They were happy. Well they had been until this weekend. Joe and Gus seemed distanced and more than once she'd seen them exchanging knowing glances. She began to feel again that Joe was keeping secrets and that Gus knew what they were. As she hugged Gus goodbye at the bus station she looked into his eyes to see if they gave anything away, but she was unsuccessful._

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**A/N**: Hey guys thanks for all the reviews. I am kind of worried that it'll get a little farfetched that Joe still hasn't told Kristen but I've already written a lot of it and I feel how I've done it is a good way and helps to lead into the story in OMG...ooo haha


	10. Chapter 10

_It was over a year since they had graduated. Joe had started on the programme and Kristen was happy for him because she could tell he was doing what he loved. But she barely saw him anymore; her work experience had dried up so when she wasn't working at the restaurant she was just in the apartment, alone. She'd never let onto Joe what his absences were doing to her, she'd organised girl's days out and they'd been fun but it wasn't the same as spending time with Joe. She'd wake up alone in their double bed in the morning and go to bed at night just as alone. She knew he came home every night because most nights he woke her up when he came in. He always sounded like a herd of elephants. But she never said anything to him, she pretended to be asleep. She liked the feeling of having him so close, but in recent weeks he'd also seemed impossibly far away._

* * *

**Joe breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled himself under the covers. The room was silent except for Kristen's soft breathing. She was curled up in a ball like she always was, Joe laughed to himself, he could never understand how she was comfortable sleeping like that. The soft rhythmic patterns of her breathing calmed him as his mind began to wonder. It was three months until the end of the programme and he still hadn't told her, he tried thinking up little stories he could tell her as to why he'd waited this long but they'd always fizzle out. He knew he'd waited too long and anyway he told he would upset her, but then a thought struck him 'Shouldn't she be happy for me? I'll be finally achieving my dreams.' But this thought did nothing to calm his nerves. He guessed it just hadn't seemed real until now, but today he'd received his information pack on all the details he'd need to know about the mission. This was really happening; did he really expect Kristen to wait five years for him? With a sickening realisation he understood. He'd have to choose between Kristen and space.**

**A/N**: Short Chapter but I'm putting up two today!


	11. Chapter 11

_The next day Kristen woke up feeling full of energy. It was her first day off all week and she wanted to get stuff done. She decided she would clean the apartment. Not that it was messy, it was just a little cluttered. She understood Joe was always too tired to pick the place up and with her working double shifts the past week, they'd gotten a bit behind. Sure it was only small things like last week's newspaper still on the coffee table and unwashed cups on the counter but she didn't like it. Kristen had always found it hard to think straight with too much clutter. 'Cluttered house, clutter life' she always thought. So she set about cleaning._

_She finally reached the magazine rack and pulled it out. She routed through the old VOGUE magazines and Entertainment Weekly's until something caught her eye. A black folder. She pulled it out onto her knee. 'Proposed Itinerary for the Scarlet Mission.' was written in big letters on the front along with the NASA logo. She slowly opened it to the first page. She scanned through the long paragraphs detailing the mission and then saw, 'Mission Length: Five Years.' There was then a list of the five strong crew, Joe's name was first. He was the Captain._

_For a moment Kristen felt frozen in place. Joe was going to leave her, for five years. She fought to keep her emotions in control as she slowly got up and walked into the kitchen. And she waited...until she heard the click of the door._

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**Joe opened the door as quietly as he could, but the hinges still made that awful screeching sound as they moved. He made it into the hall and stopped. The kitchen light was on. It wasn't like Kristen to forget to turn a light off before she went to bed. He slowly walked towards the doorway. He saw her before he reached it, she was sat at the kitchen table with her feet drawn up onto the chair. He couldn't see her face. He stalled in the hallway until he heard 'Joe, I know you're there.' She sounded tired he thought which she must be, it was after midnight and she would have been up all day. But what scared Joe more was her voice lacked any emotion. He took a breath and slowly walked into the kitchen.**

**He looked at her but she didn't return his gaze. Instead she pushed the black folder towards him. Joe's mind went into overload. She knew, and he'd let her find out in the worst possible way. She finally looked at him, her eyes were cold. 'I didn't mean for you to find out this way...' Joe began but Kristen cut him off with a harsh laugh. 'Oh so how did you anticipate me finding out? Just like the rest of the world when you have your press panel next month?' She'd read it all. Joe felt terrible, but then...'Stop being selfish Kristen.' He didn't know where that had come from; from the look on Kristen's face it had shocked her too. He watched in dismay as shock turned to anger. 'Me being selfish? You're the one whose leaving for five years.' There was such hate behind the words that to Joe they felt like a slap in the face. But they also sparked his own anger. 'I'm going to space, Kristen, whether you're with me or against me.'**


	12. Chapter 12

_What happened in the next few hours would stay with Kristen for the rest of her life. She hadn't known it was possible to feel so many emotions at once and for all of them to break her heart over and over. Joe was gone and Kristen knew there was little chance of him coming back. She'd thought about calling one of her girlfriends, they would come over and tell her everything would be okay, even when it seemed hopeless. But instead she found herself calling..._

_'Hi Gus.' For a moment Gus was too stunned to speak. He looked at his call before putting it to his ear again. It was Kristen. 'Hey, are you okay?' was all he could manage, 'I...er, I kicked Joe out.'_

* * *

Gus drove the 500 miles like a madman but he still arrived nearly six hours after he'd gotten off the phone with her. She buzzed him in and he ran up the stairs. She'd sounded terrible on the phone. Like she couldn't be bothered living anymore.

He hadn't prepared for what would greet him at the door. Kristen's eyes were puffy and she looked completely broken. She threw her arms around him. Gus held her tightly until she pulled away and led him into the apartment. Gus was shocked by what he saw; the apartment looked like a tornado had blown through it. He guessed the chaos had been caused by Joe when he left as all his things were gone. Gus looked through to the kitchen where he could see the partly swept up shards of a ballerina ornament. He remembered Kristen saying she'd collected them her whole life. The one with the pink dress was her favourite as her parents had bought it for her after her first ever dance lesson. Gus saw the pink painted shades and felt angry at Joe, 'How could he have left her in this way?' He thought. Kristen looked from Gus to the shattered ornament and burst into tears. He led her over to the sofa and sat her down. Her let her cry into his shoulder, he didn't say anything, what could he say? He just held her.

It was afternoon by the time her breathing calmed and she fell asleep. Gus had waited for this moment ever since he had met Kristen but it felt wrong. She wasn't feeling happiness and love like Gus had always imagined, she was feeling pain and loss, because of Joe. It was a hollow victory.

_Kristen woke with a start. Her eyes were sore and she couldn't keep them open for long. She jumped again when she saw who she was laying on, Gus. He was snoring slightly. 'He must be tired.' She thought, he'd insisted on driving straight over when she'd called him. She'd told him to wait until morning but she was glad he'd ignored her this once. She slowly got up off the sofa, trying not to wake Gus up and looked around the room. In daylight the room looked even worst, Joe had taken everything, well everything that belonged to him. It was like someone had come in and erased his life. Memories of last night came flooding back. It had been the worst day of her life, it had been the first time she'd actually been terrified of Joe and what he might do. After their horrific argument she'd locked herself in the bathroom, he'd banged on the door and ordered her to come out but she'd screamed at him to leave. He'd banged one last time before she'd heard him stamp away. She could hear distant banging for hours until she heard him outside the door again, 'If you want me gone Kristen, I'm gone.' She heard more banging until the front door slammed. And then silence. It had taken her an hour to summon up the courage to unlock the door. When she had she went straight for her iPhone and unlocked it, she closed her eyes as she saw the background, her and Joe on their 1st anniversary. A part of her wanted there to be a missed call or at least a text message from Joe but there was nothing. The silence in the apartment had been deafening and before she knew it, she was calling Gus._

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**A/N:** It's probably going to be a while before I update after this, as me being the genius I am with technology have managed to delete the copy I'd written off my phone, which was the only full copy so I need some time to remember what I wrote xD


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Argh! It's been too long, I intended to spend last week remembering what I'd written and then carrying on but my mind really has been on other things recently sorry Anyway today I was looking through my pen drive and I found this! So it's Barney to the rescue once again! (That's my pen drive) anyway I'm going to get on with writing! Yay

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Gus was woken by a raised voice. He could hear someone pacing up and down outside in the hallway. He strained to hear what she was saying and managed to catch the end of a sentence. '...but how do you expect me to pay it all?' He couldn't hear anymore after that until she ended the call. He stayed silent as she walked into the room; she stared at him as she saw that he was awake. Seeing her like this broke Gus' heart. As she stared at him she looked like a rabbit caught in headlights or a little lost lamb far from home. 'Is everything okay?' He finally asked she let out the breath she'd been holding and seemed to grow smaller as she did. 'Joe's stopped his payments for the rent.' Gus felt his anger boiling up inside him. He'd known Joe nearly his whole life; he'd thought he'd known him inside out. But that whole image had been shattered in less than 24 hours. What Joe had done boarded on evil, he knew Joe had a temper, everyone did but this was so cold and heartless. It sent a shiver down Gus' spine. He came back to reality when he sensed movement. Kristen had been stood in the middle of the room but was now slowing kneeling down; he saw her reach for something under the coffee table. It was a picture frame laying face down on the floor. He went to move towards her but it was too late, she slowly turned it over, her hands shaking whilst she did. Gus looked over her shoulder at the picture. It was of Joe and Kristen on their graduation day, he remembered it being taken. The glass had all but fallen out from the impact of it hitting the floor. Gus took a long look at the Kristen in that photo as it would be a long time before the Kristen right in front of him ever smiled like that again.

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**Joe was sat on the bed in his small, minimalistic room in the programme's training base. He thought back over what had happened earlier today. He'd been a dick. He'd thrown away everything he had and for what? Going into space? Or the fame and glory that came with it. But he kicked himself more for what he'd done when he'd arrived at the base. In his anger he'd signed the mission agreement. But the impact of that had only just hit him, once you signed it, you couldn't leave. He wanted, no needed to speak to Kristen, tell her he was sorry and that he'd been wrong. But from this moment on his only communication with the outside world was by telephone. He'd almost called her every hour since he'd arrived but he just couldn't do it. He needed to speak to her face-to-face, a phone call would be like a kick in the face. He grabbed his wallet off the bedside table and pulled out a folded, crumbled photo. He unfolded it, being careful not to rip it anymore than it already was and looked at it. Kristen's dazzling smile smiled back at him. This was the way he wanted to remember her and he vowed to look at this photo every day until he saw her again.**

* * *

_Kristen woke up and she could smell him. Joe. That smell had always comforted her. Last night she'd had a dream but surely that was all it had been, a bad dream. She slowly opened her eyes and her heart sank as they did. It was just his pillow, at some point during the night she must have moved over to Joe's side of the bed. It hadn't been a dream, he really was gone. Kristen was suddenly recoiled by the smell, she almost feel out of bed and quickly stripped the sheets._

* * *

Gus woke up and groaned slightly, he hadn't wanted to leave Kristen on her own but the apartment only had one bed so he'd crashed on the sofa. Gus' back cracked as he got up and he rubbed it as he tried to stand up straight. He stopped when he heard the front door slam shut. He caught a glimpse of Kristen as she walked past the doorway carrying a laundry basket. 'She's doing laundry at a time like this?' He thought to himself. He took a breath before following her.

* * *

_Kristen looked up from where she was folding up the bedding at the kitchen table. She had been so grateful Gus had stayed with her, she felt so lost, like someone had come in and ripped her in half. She didn't think she could have coped being in the apartment all alone. It was terrible as it was; every room reminded her of Joe. And Gus was kind of the only person who could begin to relate to her. She'd over heard him calling Joe the night before but there had been no answer. Gus had lost his best friend, his non-biological brother as he use to call him. She could see he was trying to stay strong but it was hard for him. Kristen walked over to him and hugged him, after a moment he hugged her back._

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Gus didn't take advantage of Kristen; at least that's what he told himself in the months and years after. Two weeks after Joe left the rent was due and it was clear Kristen couldn't afford it on her own. So Gus had quit his job so he could move in with her and took a job at the only place that was hiring, the local movie theatre. He'd invested in an air mattress as it was better for his back than the sofa. Him and Kristen mostly kept themselves to themselves and lived almost independently from each other. Most of the time Gus felt too awkward to start up a conversation, Kristen seemed to feel the same way as often they just sat in silence.

All the days seemed to blur into one for Gus. Until. 'Er, Joe's press panel for his mission is tonight, do you mind if we watch it?' They had been eating dinner at the kitchen table, in silence as usual; Gus looked at her for a moment. She looked lifeless and tired. The past few weeks she'd taken as many hours as the restaurant would give her so she'd been working double even triple shifts but it seemed to be helping. He'd seen her smile for the first time yesterday. It was her dazzling smile, but it was a start.

* * *

_Kristen felt like she was in a constant dream, one she couldn't wake up from. All too soon the time came for Joe to be blasted off into space. Gus and her watched the televised event like the rest of the world, but it didn't seem real. Seeing Joe on television was so surreal. To her, he seemed like a different person, cold, hard, determined. She told herself this was simply him preparing himself for the mission but she felt there was more to it than that. Did he miss her? Did he regret what he'd done? 'Don't kid yourself Kristen.' She thought to herself. She shot a sideways glance at Gus. His eyes were glazed over, he was staring at the TV but it was clear he wasn't seeing it. He'd been so nice to her over the past few months, leaving little post-it notes of inspirational quotes all over the apartment for when she woke up and buying her favourite cereal even though she knew he hated it. She took a breath and slowly stretched her hand across the gap and slipped it into Gus'._


End file.
